Vaporizer



H. L. BUMBAUGH.

VAPORIZER.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 30; 1920.

1,402,71 5. Patented Jan. `3, 1922. v

WITNESSES H INVENTOR UM UGH AKM B 51km By I TTUR/VEYS UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HAROLD LOBAH BUHBAUGH, 0F STANFORD UNIVERSITY, CALIFORNIA.

VAPORIZER.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HAROLD L. BUMBAUGH, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Stanford University county of Santa Clara, and State of Cali ornia, have invented a new and Improved Vaporizer, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to a vaporizer, and aims to provide a device of this character which shall provide an extremely combustible mixture for a consuming element, and is particularly intended for use in connection with the latter at the time of starting.

In connection with the consuming elements utilizing volatile fuels, and more particularly internal combustion engines, it is Well appreciated that considerable difficulty has been experienced in that an excessive drain has been thrown upon the starting battery where this was. used, incident to the utilization of the starting motor for cranking the engine.

This is particularly true where the engine is entirely cold. It is also well understood, that it is necessary at the time of starting the motor, to utilize what is commonly termed a choke, which results in an extremely rich fuel mixture flowing lthrough the manifold into the cylinders, so as to produce an initial explosion, as is usually the case where the engine does not take hold immediately, a certain amount of the rich mixture flows past the pistons and so into the crank case where it results in a diluting of the oil, causing a rapid wearing away of the parts lubricated by the oil. This is also the case where priming is resorted to, and in this latter instance, the conditions are often found to be far more aggravated than is the case where merely the choke is resorted to.

Also where numerous starts are resorted to, a great amount of fuel is wasted, incident to the extremely rich mixture utilized, which wili result in the well known defects of carbon, and general ineihciency of operation, aside from the expense involved.

It will further be understood that considerable diiculty has been experienced in that a carburetor may be set to a certain adjustment to meet certain requirements of temperature, mixture, etc., and that subsequently, upon the temperature dropping that the motor will be extremely diiiicult to start even although the choke should be utilized to the fullest extent.

Specification of Letters Patent.

With this in view,A I have constructed a vaporizer which will permit of practically the instantaneous starting of the consuming element, such as an explosive motor, so that it will be only necessary to actuate the starting crank to an extremely small exent, or in case a starter is used, the same will be operated for merely a proportionate amount of time to produce an initial explosion, thus saving the battery from the terrific drainage and distortion of the plates incident to a continued voperation of the starting motor.

A further object of my invention is the construction of a device of this nature, which will prepare and permit of the feeding of just sufficient fuel to the motor in the form of a high explosive gas, to permit of the production of the initial explosion. A still further object of my invention is the construction of a vaporizer in which no unused gas in liquid form remains in the cylinders, so that the defects incident to this procedure will be eliminated.

Another object of my invention is the construction of a vaporizer which will operate regardless of the specific gravity of the fuel, or of atmospheric temperature or conditions.

Still another object of my invention is the provision of a device which will permit of the carburetor being set to produce an eX- tremely lean mixture, in that the vaporizer will provide a medium for producing an initial operation, thus permitting an operator to dispense with a rich adjustment of the carburetor.

Still further objects of my invention are the provision of a vaporizer' which shall be extremely simple in construction and operation, and in which no adjustment will be required, so that the same may be readily produced, operated and installed.

Reference is had to the attached sheet of drawings as illustrating one practical embodiment of my invention, and in which- Figure 1 is a somewhat diagrammatic View of a vaporizer constructed in accordance with my invention, and showing the same associated with a consuming element in the form of an internal combustion engine, an

Figure 2 illustrates the moving part of the vaporizer in a position different from that illustrated in Figure 1.

In these views the reference numeral 5 indicates the intake manifold, of an internal combustion engine with which a vaporizer,

Patented Jan. 3, 1922.

Application filed November 30, 1920. Serial No. 427,450. Y

' including a casing 6 is connected by any suitable means such as a tube 7 A secondary tube 8 also .connects with the casing 6, and is provided with a valve 9, of

any suitable character, adapted to be operf sented upon the dash 15.

Thus upon a ull being exerted upon the hand pull 14, t e cable 12 will cause the throw lever 10 to be moved upwardly to the position indicated in dotted lines in Figure 1, and full lines in Figure 2, causing the valve 9 to open, as has been shown in Figure 2.

Arranged within the casing 6 and preferably at a oint directly under-lying the inner end o the tube 8, is a heating medium such as a coil 16, which coil is conveniently mounted in vseries with a terminal 17, and a contact'terminal 18. A secondary terminal 19 serves to afford a ground for a purpose hereinafter more fully specified.

Now it will be seen, assuming that the tube 8 is connected` to a suitable source of fuel supply, that when it is desired to start a consuming element, that this may readily be accomplished by opening the valve in the manner specified. It will also be seen that the inner end of the throw lever 10 is provided with a contact strip 20, which when the lever is moved to the position indicated in dotted lines in Figure 1, will bear against the contact terminal 18, as has been clearly shown in Figure 2.

This will result in a closing of the circuit in that the terminal 19 is grounded, which will permit the current to flow through the throw lever 10 to the tube 8, and thus to the casing 6 to which the grounded terminal is afiixed.

By virtue of the fact that the heating element 16 directly underlies the inner end of the tube 8 it will be appreciated that the fuel introduced into the casing therethrough will be vaporized, and form a mixture within the casing2 which mixture will be of a highly .explosive nature.

and flow into the fuel intake manifold, so I that the slightest actuation of the consuming element, such as a cranking of the same, will result in this highly explosive mixture being drawn into the cylinders, where upon being subjected to the action of a spark plug, it will instantly produce the initial explosion.

Obviously this will be accomplished in an extremely short period, and upon the fuel mixture being subjected to the spark action, it will be appreciated that an instantaneous explosion, will result, thereby starting the consuming element.

rlhus I have constructed a vaporizer in which no continued cranking is necessary, so that the defects incident to this operation as aforestated will be eliminated. e

It will further be seen `that the motor will draw just suilicientV fuel in the form of hot explosive gas to meet the requirements inci- -dent to producing the initial explosion, and also that no unused gas in liquid form will remain in the cylinders, as will result, in the case of priming or utilization of the choke Also it will be seen that all of the objects enumerated in the preamble to this specification will be accomplished.

Obviously numerous modiications of structure might readily be resorted to without in the least departing from the spirit of my intricheating element within said casing, a

contact point connected to one of the ends of said heating element, one of the terminals of a source of current connected to the opposite end thereof, a pair of tubes connected to said casing, a valve interposed in one of said tubes, a throw lever connected to said valve for permitting an operation of the same, said throw lever being adapted to engage said contact point when the valve is in open position to close the circuit through the heating element.

HAROLD LORAH BUMBAUGH. 

